Thank You for the Curatorial Bags

Andrew Garte of Garte & Associates in Shady Side, Maryland, has donated 2800 curatorial bags of different sizes to Charles County Archaeological Society of Maryland, Inc.

Various Bag Sizes

CCASM would like to thank Andrew for his donation that will allow us to upgrade our collections to the standards established by the Maryland Historical Trust. 

Thank you for your support.

Westwood Manor - Being Fashionable in the 17th Century

Patricia Samford

At the February 9 meeting Patricia Samford talked about the reanalysis of artifacts excavated in 1996 at Westwood Manor in Charles County.  Of all the interesting artifacts found, Patricia's interest in one artifact, a decorated ivory handle of a walking stick, led her to learn more about fashion in Maryland in the 17th Century.  So the title "Walking Softly and Carrying a Big Stick: Being Fashionable on Maryland’s Western Shore in the Late 17th-Century.  Patricia is the Director of the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Lab at Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum.

The reanalysis was done by Julia King's students at St Mary's College. Patricia also brought a copy of the report.

The Artifact

The Report

A few of the People

Attendance: 24 including 2 young boys

Projectile Point Identification, Historical Archaeology, ...

One advantage of being in ASM's Certified Archeological Technician (CAT) Program is attending special workshops.

Saturday January 28 three CAT Workshops were offered -- Projectile Point and Lithics Identification conducted by Carol Ebright, Overview of Historic Archaeology conducted by Jim Gibb, and Laboratory Techniques conducted by Rebecca Morehouse.  Alex McPhail gave a short presentation on CAT Journal best practices, and Cynthia Goode of  American University talked about the Great Dismal Swamp Landscape Study Project.

Below are the CCASM members that traveled to Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum to participate in the workshops.

Jim, Carol. Elsie, Josh, Barbara, Belinda

CCAS is a chapter of the Archeological Society of Maryland (ASM).

18th Century Port Tobacco

Carol Cowherd

At the January 12 meeting Carol Cowherd talked about the search for the original 1729 layout of Charles Town, locally known as Port Tobacco.  This was in support of archaeology being done in the area.  Carol is the President of CCASM.

This was also our first time meeting at the Police Department.  We had plenty of room, as can be seen in the photos.  However, the parking lot indicated was also used by restaurant patrons.   For future reference, parking is also available on the north side of the building (but not in the back where the police cars park), and on the street.

Attendance: ~22

New Location and Day of Month for Meetings

CCASM was able to find a larger meeting room.  So starting January 12, 2012, we will be meeting in the Community Meeting Room at the

    Town of La Plata Police Department
    101 La Grange Ave, La Plata, MD
    Click to find Town of La Plata Police Department on Map

The change in location also required us to change the day of the month on which we meet.

The new day of the month is the 2nd Thursday.

The time is still 7:00 pm.

Parking is in the lot across from La Grange Avenue.  Please do not park in the area reserved for police cars.

For those long-time residents, this is the old La Plata Post Office.